Fourth-down situations meant one of two very different outcomes when Trevor Daniel was punting for Dickson County's football team. Sometimes he'd bounce a punt off the side of his foot and out of bounds for a short-yardage gain. Other times, though, he'd boom one over the returner's head and flip the field for the Cougars.

"But that was rare," Daniel laughed this week, recalling his prep days in Middle Tennessee. "I was very inconsistent."

The potential was there for the athlete Daniel would become. After picking up punting late in his high school career and walking on with the Tennessee Volunteers, Daniel enjoyed a record-breaking college career and drew an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine this week in Indianapolis. He and the other specialists will work out for all 32 NFL franchises, with parts of the four-day itinerary televised March 1-2 on NFL Network.

The ultimate underdog, Daniel finds himself in the same position he was five years ago trying to show he's worthy of the next level.

"You have to prove yourself," said Daniel, who has spent the offseason working out in Knoxville with fellow Dickson County native and former Vols placekicker Holden Foster. "Time to go show them what you're made of. I guess that's nothing really new to me. I'm used to it."

Teammates congratulate Punter Trevor Daniel after he punted the ball out of bounds on the 1-yard line.(Photo: Larry McCormack / THE TENNESSEAN)

Daniel's path to college ball got a boost when he attended several kicking camps after his junior year at Dickson County. With a strong leg and a determined mindset, he graded well despite his amateur approach to mechanics.

Troy Williams, former head coach at Dickson County and now the school's assistant principal, remembers seeing the difference in his punter as a senior. Williams knew it was still an uphill battle to even earn a college spot though.

"When he got the form down, that's when it really took off," Williams said. "You want to encourage kids to go out and follow their dream, but in the back of your mind you always wonder. You see many try and not many succeed."

Daniel walked that line before earning a scholarship and the Vols' starting job as a redshirt sophomore. By the end of his career, he'd set school punting yardage records for single-season (47.5, 2017) and career averages (45.9). He ranked second in the nation last fall and finished his career second all time in the SEC. Florida's Johnny Townsend was first in both categories and joins Daniel at the combine this week.

Tennessee punter Trevor Daniel (93) punts it away as the University of Tennessee plays Oklahoma in the first half.Saturday Sept. 12, 2015, in Knoxville, Tenn(Photo: Larry McCormack / The Tennessean)

At 6-foot-1 and 230 pounds, Daniel hopes to show scouts he's an all-around athlete. Along with his position-specific drills, he plans to test in the 40-yard dash, bench press and vertical jump. Of course showing off that big leg – and the consistency it's developed – is still the top priority.

"In the NFL, they don't tolerate mishits or shanks," Daniel said. "You've got to be on your game and you've got to be good enough to go beat out somebody and take somebody's job."